Alexandra Pelosi, daughter of House Minority Leader and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, told Big Government this week that her mother wants to leave Congress–and that she remains in Washington only at the behest of her campaign donors.

During a telephone interview, Ms. Pelosi–speaking from a friend’s home in New York City–described her mother’s predicament:

She would retire right now, if the donors she has didn’t want her to stay so badly. They know she wants to leave, though. They think she’s destined for the wilderness. She has very few days left. She’s 71, she wants to have a life, she’s done. It’s obligation, that’s all I’m saying.

Pelosi’s spokesman denies it, calling it “wishful thinking on the part of a right-wing blog” even though the story’s based on a quote from, er, her own daughter. As for the substance of that quote, I’m not sure how to take it. Presumably it means Pelosi’s running for re-election … even though her own donors think it’s unlikely she’ll be Speaker again. Which means what? That she’ll serve out one more two-year term as minority leader and then quit? Or that she’ll run this year, get re-elected, and then resign if the Democrats aren’t back in the majority? Or that she’ll decide to retire a few months from now once she has a better sense of how the next Congress will shake out? Eight veteran Dems have already thrown in the towel, you know, so I can’t believe Pelosi’s still holding out hope of getting the gavel back.

Karl Rove predicted this morning that either she or Reid or both would quit the leadership in 2012. Does he know something? Exit question: Who’s Nancy going to get her stock tips from now?

Blowback

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